Entertainment: A whirlwind marriage with a fairy-like mother at the start!

The door to Salty Fish Studio was pushed open, bringing with it a not-so-cool night breeze.

In the unlit corridor, only the recording studio at the end of the corridor emitted an eerie blue light.

Yu Le carried two boxes of fried rice noodles that he had just bought from a roadside stall and walked over towards the light.

Push open the door.

A warm current, a mixture of the smell of heat from electronic devices and the aroma of instant coffee, wafted over me.

Chang Shilei was hunched over the mixing console, with the seemingly permanent headphones on his head, staring blankly at a bunch of messy audio tracks on the screen.

"Still needing repairs?"

Yu Le placed the rice noodles on the small table next to him, and the plastic bag made a crisp rustling sound.

Hearing the noise, Chang Shilei was startled and almost spilled his coffee on the keyboard.

"Boss, you walk so quietly?"

Chang Shilei took off his headphones, rubbed his stiff neck, and his joints made a cracking protesting sound.

"You're too engrossed."

Yu Le pulled up a chair and sat down, then casually pushed one of the boxes of rice noodles to him.

"Eat it while it's hot, add extra numbing and spicy flavor, it'll refresh your mind."

Chang Shilei didn't stand on ceremony, grabbed his chopsticks and took a big bite, mumbling indistinctly.

"I've finished 'In the Name of the Father' and 'Life is Like a Summer Flower.' 'Jiangnan' is almost done too. I'm thinking of finishing it all tonight!"

Look at this, this is what the awareness of a top-tier worker looks like.

If you pay enough, I can even turn your liver into foie gras pâté.

During this period, Comrade Xiaoli gave him and Yang Nuo quite a lot of bonuses.

Of course, it's clear that this guy truly loves this line of work; he's so engrossed in it that he's lost track of time.

"Let's put that aside for now."

Yu Le pulled out a neatly folded A4 sheet of paper from his pocket and slapped it down next to Chang Shilei's stir-fried rice noodles.

Chang Shilei was stunned for a moment, and the rice noodles he was holding with his chopsticks almost fell back into the box.

"More...more work?"

He swallowed the food in his mouth, his face showing a look of indignation that said, "Even the donkeys in the production team wouldn't dare to be ordered around like this."

"Boss, even though my name is Stone, I'm not made of iron. If I keep pushing myself like this, I'll die of exhaustion on the mixing console. Will that be considered a work injury?"

"Fine, I'll give you a grand funeral, and we'll play the song you composed at it." Yu Le ignored his attempt to gain sympathy, gesturing with her chin towards the piece of paper. "Take a look at this song first. No rush, your life is more important."

Chang Shilei sighed, resignedly put down his chopsticks, and picked up the piece of paper.

My previously casual gaze froze the moment it fell upon the song title.

The Lone Warrior.

These three words, powerful and resolute, convey a sense of desolation and unyielding strength.

Shift your gaze downwards.

The sheet music is very simple, the melody is not complicated, and it can even be said to be catchy.

But this word...

"They are all brave."

"The wound on your forehead, yours, different, the mistake you made."

There's no need to hide anything.

"Your worn-out doll, your mask, your ego."

Chang Shilei's Adam's apple bobbed.

He's an expert.

There was no romantic musings, no pointless complaints.

Only the bloody reality and the roar of struggling out of the mire.

"Who says only those who stand in the light are heroes?"

Chang Shilei's hand trembled slightly upon reading this sentence.

That thin piece of paper seemed to weigh a ton at that moment.

He suddenly raised his head and looked at Yu Le sitting opposite him.

"Boss, this song..."

Chang Shilei's voice was a little hoarse, not because he had stayed up late, but because of some kind of emotional shock.

"Who was it written for?"

"Give it to a bunch of idiots."

Yu Le stood up, walked to the French windows, and looked out at the city lights of Beijing.

"A bunch of... reckless idiots."

Chang Shilei fell silent.

He was a smart man. Connecting the recent news with the special period that had just ended, he instantly understood the significance of this song.

The scope of my thinking opened up immediately!

This isn't a song.

This is a declaration of war, a declaration of war against death!

This is also a medal, a medal awarded to all those who go against the tide in the darkness!

"The arrangement is yours."

Yu Le had her back to him, and her voice was very calm.

"I want that kind of... fierce determination, like biting off a piece of flesh even when you're in dire straits. The drumbeats should be heavy, pounding on your heartbeat. The strings shouldn't be too ornate, but tragic, like the tragic grandeur of thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge."

"clear!"

Chang Shilei put his thick-rimmed glasses back on, and the fatigue in his eyes vanished, replaced by an almost fanatical excitement.

For a producer, an excellent work is like a delicious dish.

Even if I stayed up all night, it would be worth it, even if I worked myself to the bone!

"Then who will sing?"

Chang Shilei's fingers were already on the keyboard, ready to start working at any moment.

"This song... is really not something an ordinary person can sing. Only a ruthless person with a rebellious spirit can handle it."

Yu Le turned around, a playful smile curving her lips.

"Far away, yet right before my eyes."

Chang Shilei pushed up his glasses, looking doubtful.

"Boss, are you sure? Sisi?"

"That girl has a good voice, but she's only sixteen, and she's always been going for an ethereal, fairy-like style. This song... it's too hard. Can she handle it?"

Don't underestimate her.

Yu Le pulled over another chair and propped her feet up on it.

"That girl looks gentle and weak, but she's stubborn at heart. She has more of that indomitable spirit than anyone else."

"Besides," Yu Le pointed at him defiantly, "don't we still have you, the million-dollar sound engineer?"

The way you're saying this makes it sound like Chang Shilei isn't a person, but rather a one-click voice enhancement app.

Chang Shilei pushed up his glasses, revealing three parts helplessness, three parts resignation, and four parts "I believed your nonsense."

What else could he say?

The boss has already painted a picture of the moon, which is as high as Mount Everest. What can this working man do but swallow his tears and accept it?

"Alright." Chang Shilei sighed and refocused his attention on the A4 paper. "I'll try to make the arrangement feel epic and exciting. But boss, let me be clear: the soul of this song lies in the singer. Technique can make up for flaws, but it can't fill the void of emotion."

"Don't worry." Yu Le patted his shoulder firmly, more like encouraging a mule than comforting him. "Our Qianqian hasn't been practicing for nothing lately, she's made great progress! And she's so emotionally expressive!"

Mainly because he's been cheated so many times by his unscrupulous father, he's become very experienced in life.

Chang Shilei didn't say anything more. He simply pushed the half-eaten box of fried rice noodles aside, put his headphones back on, and his fingers flew across the keyboard and mixing console.

When he's in working mode, he's like a sophisticated human musical instrument.

Seeing this, Yu Le didn't bother them any further.

He left behind the words, "Take it easy and get some rest," and quietly left the recording studio, closing the door behind him.